Baroness Fiddlesticks

Last updated

The Baroness Fiddlesticks is a two-act 1904 Broadway musical with a book by George de Long. [1] [2] [3] It was directed by Al M. Holbrook. [4] The show's music was composed by Emil Bruguiere, with lyrics by de Long. [1] [2] The show opened on November 21, 1904, and ran for 25 performances at the Casino Theatre before closing on December 10, 1904. [2] [5]

Contents

The show took place in contemporary England and was billed as "a musical satire on society". [3] Harry Lehr asked that his name be removed from one of the show's songs. [6]

Production

The show was mired in controversy, mostly surrounding eighteen-year-old Anna Fitzhugh being cast in the show's titular role. [3] One financial backer objected to her casting, and she was removed from the show by the end of its first week on Broadway. [3] However, the other cast members supported Fitzhugh, saying she had been "very badly used". [3] Many of the cast members put in their two-week notice by November 25. [3] At the same time, conductor Arthur Weld had resigned. [3]

Synopsis

London musical hall entertainer Patrina is invited to a house party at Mashaway's country estate. [3] However, she decides to attend the event as the Baroness Fiddlesticks. [3] Mashaway, who wants to make his name as a member of the stock exchange, comes at odds with Patrina's masquerade. [3]

Cast

Character1904 Broadway [4]
Patrina/Baroness FiddlesticksAnna Fitzhugh
MashawayJohn E. Henshaw
Maurel TrenchantTony Asher
Geraldine Nella Bergen
Mrs. McGurkMary Ten Broeck
Isabelle Toby Claude
ChollyWalter A. Cluxton
MarionettaAnna Johnston
JenkinsGustav Koldovski
ArcherRichie Ling
Jack ElkinsAlden McClaskie
Monty Edna McClure
The Duchess of ReelboroMinnie Methot
AlgyMae Sherwood

Songs

The order of songs is unknown, and they are thus presented alphabetically. [3] [7]

Reception

The New York Evening World praised Bruguiere's score as "worthwhile" saying that he "would undoubtedly have been able to get [the show] produced even if he had been broke". Brooklyn Life, the Galveston Daily News, and the Louisville Courier-Journal also praised the show's music. Both the Daily Times and Evening World papers were critical of the show's book. [3]

The New York Times called the show "a decided hit" and praised its costuming. [3]

Fitzhugh and the rest of the cast generally seemed to garner positive reviews. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Into the Woods</i> 1987 musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine

Into the Woods is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.

<i>No, No, Nanette</i> 1925 musical

No, No, Nanette is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play My Lady Friends. The farcical story involves three couples who find themselves together at a cottage in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the midst of a blackmail scheme, focusing on a young, fun-loving Manhattan heiress who naughtily runs off for a weekend, leaving her unhappy fiancé. Its songs include the well-known "Tea for Two" and "I Want to Be Happy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Finn</span> Musical artist

William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist. He is best known for his musicals, which include Falsettos, for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, A New Brain (1998), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005).

<i>Silk Stockings</i> Musical

Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The musical is loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story Ninotchka and the 1939 film adaptation it inspired. It ran on Broadway in 1955. This was the last musical that Porter wrote for the stage.

<i>La Cage aux Folles</i> (musical) 1983 musical composed by Jerry Herman, with libretto by Harvey Fierstein

La Cage aux Folles is a musical with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael John LaChiusa</span> American musical theatre and opera composer (born 1962)

Michael John LaChiusa is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as Hello Again, Marie Christine, The Wild Party, and See What I Wanna See. He was nominated for four Tony Awards in 2000 for his score and book for both Marie Christine and The Wild Party and received another nomination in 1996 for his work on the libretto for Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

<i>Beauty and the Beast</i> (musical) Stage musical, based on the 1991 animated Disney film of the same

Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' Academy Award-winning 1991 animated feature musical film of the same name – which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle before it is too late.

<i>Pal Joey</i> (musical) 1940 Rodgers & Hart musical, atypically featuring an antihero as its protagonist

Pal Joey is a 1940 musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker, which he later published in novel form. The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson. It includes two songs that have become standards: "I Could Write a Book" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".

<i>Memphis</i> (musical) Musical

Memphis is a musical with music by David Bryan, lyrics by Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and a book by DiPietro.

<i>Amour</i> (musical) 1997 musical by Michel Legrand & Didier Van Cauwelaert

Amour is a musical fantasy with an English book and lyrics by Jeremy Sams, music by Michel Legrand, and original French lyrics by Didier Van Cauwelaert, who also wrote the original French libretto.

<i>Americas Sweetheart</i> (musical) Musical

America's Sweetheart is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Symes Lehr</span> American socialite (1869–1929)

Henry Symes Lehr was an American socialite during the Gilded Age who was dubbed "America's Court Jester".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casino Theatre (New York City)</span> Former theatre in Manhattan, New York

The Casino Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 1404 Broadway and West 39th Street in New York City. Built in 1882, it was a leading presenter of mostly musicals and operettas until it closed in 1930.

Miss 1917 is a musical revue with a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, music by Victor Herbert, Jerome Kern and others, and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, Otto Harbach, Henry Blossom and others. Made up of a string of vignettes, the show features songs from such musicals as The Wizard of Oz, Three Twins, Babes in Toyland, Ziegfeld Follies and The Belle of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edna McClure</span> American actress

Edna McClure was an American actress whose brief career on Broadway was overshadowed by a sensational murder case and later a tragic family dispute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">69th Tony Awards</span>

The 69th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 7, 2015, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2014–15 season. The ceremony was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and broadcast live by CBS. Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming hosted the ceremony.

<i>MJ the Musical</i> Jukebox musical

MJ the Musical is a jukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainer Michael Jackson. It features Jackson's music with a book by Lynn Nottage, and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon.

<i>Tammy Faye</i> (musical) Stage musical by Elton John and Jake Shears

Tammy Faye is a biographic stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and a book by James Graham, based on the life of Tammy Faye Messner.

Babes in the Wood is a 1964 Off-Broadway musical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The show's book and lyrics are by Rick Besoyan. It opened on December 28, 1964, at the Orpheum Theatre and closed on February 7, 1965.

Babette is a Broadway operetta with a libretto by Harry B. Smith and music by Victor Herbert, which premiered in 1903.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Baroness Fiddlesticks - 1904 Broadway - Creative Team". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Baroness Fiddlesticks". Playbill. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Dietz, Dan (2022). The Complete Book of 1900s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 259–260. ISBN   978-1-5381-6894-3. OCLC   1334889961.
  4. 1 2 "The Baroness Fiddlesticks Original Broadway Musical Cast 1904". Broadway World. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  5. ↑ "The Baroness Fiddlesticks - 1904 Broadway - Backstage & Production Info". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  6. ↑ "HARRY LEHR OBJECTS.; Doesn't Like Use of Name in a Musical Comedy". The New York Times. 1904-11-24. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  7. ↑ "Heigh ho: from Baroness Fiddlesticks - Quartex site". digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.